PokerStars-AGA showdown in Atlantic City postponed
The New Jersey Casino Control Commission postponed a vote Wednesday that could allow the American Gaming Association to participate in the licensing case of PokerStars’ purchase of a failing Atlantic City casino.
PokerStars’ parent company, The Rational Group of Isle of Man, wants to buy the Atlantic Club in a move that would allow the online gaming giant to enter New Jersey’s Internet gambling market.
Commission spokesman Daniel Heneghan said the matter would be taken up at a later date.
“The American Gaming Association’s petition to participate in a hearing on the Rational Group’s application for interim casino authorization has been adjourned,” Casino Control Commission Chairman Matthew Levinson said in a statement. “Additional time is needed for the consideration of this matter.”
A week ago, the Washington, D.C.-based American Gaming Association entered into the licensing debate for PokerStars and called the company a “criminal enterprise for many years.”
PokerStars attorneys, who filed a response Monday, said the American Gaming Association was orchestrating a “thinly veiled anti-competitive campaign” to keep new ownership out of the market.
Contact reporter Howard Stutz at hstutz@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3871. Follow @howardstutz on Twitter.